Ok, so we all know about EB and the Warlock ability to increase its potency with invocations. So, what are we doing on the combat field when we're not using the signature cantrip? I'm curious to know the type of Warlock, race, and funky combinations you all use to make your Warlock useful in combat.
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May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I've got a warlock that I built for primarily melee work. He's a levistus tiefling hexblade with booming blade and greenflame blade as his cantrips. When he has to use a ranged attack, he gets ray of frost from levistus tiefling. I've not played him yet, and not sure I /want/ to as I am pretty tired of melee classes. I am saving this character in case I absolutely HAVE to play some kind of melee character.
Yes, I know that no EB on a warlock is blasphemy and the warlock I am currently playing certainly uses it. But for a gish character who's hitting people in the face, I think booming blade and greenflame blade are great options.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
A Booming/Green Flame Pact of the Blade character with Eldritch Smite can deal some pretty catastrophic spike damage, and make use of commonly available sicknasty magic melee sticks. Theoretically a warlock could use Improved Pact Weapon to create bows instead of blades and use an invocation to get a second bowshot, but unless you have a sicknasty magic bow (which basically don't exist because Wizards hates archers) I'm not sure how it's going to be better, or any different/more interesting, than Agonizing Blast.
You can always pick a different primary damage cantrip, Celestial locks sometimes decide on Fire Bolt instead, but your choices more or less boil down to being a punchy warlock with Green Flame/Booming Blade, or being a shooty warlock whose best weapon is going to be Eldritch Blast.
Heh, what I like to do is use my Pact slots to make the Eldritch Blasting a lot harder to deal with. One of my favorite early warlock spells is Spider Climb; even when Fly becomes available, I tend to keep Spider Climb around if I can because an hour is better than ten minutes, and Spider Climb has helped me freak enemies out in ways that simply flying wouldn't have. A wall-walking warlock firing eldritch bonks at people from weird angles, bypassing their cover because spider feets, is awesome. Greater Invis is equally badass as a feylock (Feylocks: I guarantee you're underestimating them, Hexlock adherents) - pop Greater Invis, become a demon monster of invisible energy blasting nobody can deal with. If you manage to get slippers of spider climbing as well...
Yeah, all of those conflict with Hex, but realistically even without Hex, you're dealing 1d10+Mod per strike, with a strike count fighters can envy. You don't need Hex to hold up your damage, and other concentration spells offer so much more tactical depth. All of which still applies if you're Firebolting rather than Eldritch Blasting, or using a bow, or what-have-you.
There's also the gishy "why not both?" method. Take EB, or your choice of ranged shooty thing, and your choice of XYZ Blade cantrip. Whack when they're close, shoot when they're not. Tomelock and Bladelock both work for it, Chainlock can do it but I feel like anyone playing Chainlock is the sort to value utility cantrips over damage stuff anyways. I know I do.
There's also the option of Shocking Grasp, though you have to either multiclass it or Tomelock it. if you do get it on a Chainlock though, Shocking Grasp + invisible familiar is super rude, in all the best ways.Familiar casts Shocking Grasp as a reaction, then uses its action to go invisible and retreat. Whatever it shocked gets no AoO, even at disadvantage, because Shocking Grasp says 'No reactions'. And that's if you don't point out to your DM that invisibility breaks when your familiar "attacks or casts a spell", and the familiar using its reaction to deliver a spell YOU cast is technically neither of those things. Now admittedly, any DM worth their salt is not likely to give you that one beyond the first time you terrorize a roomful of gobbos with an invisible flying taser, but if you can pull it off?
Ok, so we all know about EB and the Warlock ability to increase its potency with invocations. So, what are we doing on the combat field when we're not using the signature cantrip? I'm curious to know the type of Warlock, race, and funky combinations you all use to make your Warlock useful in combat.
Variant Tiefling is one of my favorite things in this game with the Devil's Tongue in place of Infernal Legacy. I built him up to be stronger defensively and to use elements of control against the enemy to help maximize damage all across the round instead of just worrying about how much damage I can do.
Devil’s Tongue. You know the vicious mockery cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the enthrall spell once with this trait. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells once again with this trait. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for them. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait.
This is incredibly powerful for when you're fighting above your normal CR level. I absolutely love loading up the big enemies with Hex using my bonus action and giving them disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks for my Inquisitive Rogue partner to land Insightful Fighting for those nasty Sneak Attack damages. The occasional disadvantage from Vicious Mockery while they're Hexed combos nicely, so now the close-up fighters in my party can use their bonus action to do other useful things and not have to worry as much about taking that AoO if they need to move out. Got another big baddy over in the corner? Sure, why not Charm them and have them fight alongside you, lol. Now you've got a variable meat shield. I did that to a Minotaur our last session and he soaked up the majority of the damage in a room filled with six thugs, a Pirate Captain, and two Bug Bears. o.o
Then when the Minotaur died we got the XP because he was still technically an enemy, ha!
I took Hexblade and Pact of the Blade because it is something I wanted to give a shot. I liked playing Eldritch Knight, so I figured this couldn't be too bad. I was right...
Having actually used my Eldritch Blast sparingly just to pepper at those pesky ranged enemies or as a finisher so I can move my Hex around, I much prefer rolling in with my Pact Weapon (magical weapon +1 yes please!) and getting into the mix nice an up close like. I usually hit the enemy or enemies with Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade depending on how clustered the hostiles are. If they get close enough together and I'm able to do so safely so as not to hit an Ally, I really enjoy casting Arms of Hadar almost as a mockery to the baddies like, "Did you really think all I had was a Sword? For rrrrreeeeeeaaaaaal?!"
It all sounds pretty basic, but my tactics for battle actually focus on elements of control with careful positioning and baiting (since there's no true aggro mechanic in 5e) so my other party members can maximize their damage (like with the Inquisitive Rogue I mentioned) each round, and also having built myself up with strong innate defenses so I don't have to worry too much about taking a lot of damage. I took the Tiefling Racial Feat Infernal Constitution, so that I have Resistance against Fire, Cold, and Poison damage (and advantage on poison saves)...which now that I have it I've noticed those types of damage are fairly common.
IDK, it could just be the way the campaign I'm using him in is designed, and that I got lucky. I feel like now that I'm describing some elements of it, it looks pretty basic. I plan to move forward with this Warlock and continue to focus on battlefield control elements and mobility, while still having strong innate defenses. The damage isn't as important to me as my party and I not taking damage, so in effect helping my party hit harder is better for all of us!
Control spells for me are always a win like hypnotic pattern or arms of hadar. I feel like they aren't super op but they are good in certain circumstances.
Currently running an Archfey BladeLock with Improved Pact Weapon so I can Eldritch Smite from range with a Longbow. I've also got Improved Invisibility via the Archfey spell list, and Elven Accuracy because I'm a half-elf. So I'm crit-fishing with triple advantage and nobody can see me do it.
I've also got Hold Monster, so sometimes I use that, and summon a Rapier as my Pact Weapon for automatic crits vs. paralyzed enemies.
Currently running an Archfey BladeLock with Improved Pact Weapon so I can Eldritch Smite from range with a Longbow. I've also got Improved Invisibility via the Archfey spell list, and Elven Accuracy because I'm a half-elf. So I'm crit-fishing with triple advantage and nobody can see me do it.
I've also got Hold Monster, so sometimes I use that, and summon a Rapier as my Pact Weapon for automatic crits vs. paralyzed enemies.
Life is good.
I just put one of these together with a half drow hexblade warlock, and it looks pretty brutal.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
In my case, as face and magical investigator for the party, combat is secondary, but I've got Fey ancestry, fly, and I took Misty step (intentional so I can bail twice) and Faerie fire. This is in addition to charm type spells. Good motion and give-bonuses-to-others. In addition to EB, I've got Ray of Frost, which as I've posted before, scales decently, but more importantly, slows those hit by it, to the tune of 10' until my next turn. With a 60' range, that's an additional round it would take for an average speed opponent to reach you, giving others greater opportunity. At 6th level, and with the party since first, I've recorded exactly one kill. But I've got a ton of "assists", not just in terms of damage, but in terms of overall board effects.
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May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I'm running a DEX/CHA based Tabaxi Warlock, Pact of the Blade (all in w/ improvement), w/ a GOO patron. Plenty of control spells & spells to stop spells and curses. Took Thunderstep. Also, took Armor of Shadows & Defensive Duelist.
He's EB free.
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DM: Are you sure?
Wizard: Yes. I cast the Wish spell and I wish that everybody loves me!
DM: You transform into an irresistible, magnificent feast. It was so great, all who participated in devouring you tell of the joy they felt with tears in their eyes and all who hear the tale only feel sorrow that they weren't there to eat.
I've got a Dex/Cha fiend bladelock glasya tiefling. ASIs go to stats and Resilient Con. Has armor of shadows, the 4 blade invocations, agonizing blast, grasp of hadar and lance of lethargy.
EB is ranged backup, I prefer setting up with fire shield and shadow blade, then TWF with it and my scimitar/shortsword pact weapon. High AC and temp HP keep me alive. Lots of teleport spells and fly for mobility.
I know a lot of people don’t like shadow blade, but a melee lock w shadow blade and spamming green flame blade is actually quite potent. You can multi class w Eldritch knight or valor bard so that you get an extra attack when you use a Cantrip for an added bonus.
i like pairing it with pact of chain and fiend patron so that you can get gift of ever living and hp’s on a kill and you really will be pretty tanky.
ive never really been an EB spam fan. It feels like the spell is just about propping up numbers as opposed to having a real RP element. “Oh yeah so locks are really cool w their patrons, but their combat sucks. Let’s just modify a Cantrips to make it way OP compared to others in order to bring it up”
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Ok, so we all know about EB and the Warlock ability to increase its potency with invocations. So, what are we doing on the combat field when we're not using the signature cantrip? I'm curious to know the type of Warlock, race, and funky combinations you all use to make your Warlock useful in combat.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I've got a warlock that I built for primarily melee work. He's a levistus tiefling hexblade with booming blade and greenflame blade as his cantrips. When he has to use a ranged attack, he gets ray of frost from levistus tiefling. I've not played him yet, and not sure I /want/ to as I am pretty tired of melee classes. I am saving this character in case I absolutely HAVE to play some kind of melee character.
Yes, I know that no EB on a warlock is blasphemy and the warlock I am currently playing certainly uses it. But for a gish character who's hitting people in the face, I think booming blade and greenflame blade are great options.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
A Booming/Green Flame Pact of the Blade character with Eldritch Smite can deal some pretty catastrophic spike damage, and make use of commonly available sicknasty magic melee sticks. Theoretically a warlock could use Improved Pact Weapon to create bows instead of blades and use an invocation to get a second bowshot, but unless you have a sicknasty magic bow (which basically don't exist because Wizards hates archers) I'm not sure how it's going to be better, or any different/more interesting, than Agonizing Blast.
You can always pick a different primary damage cantrip, Celestial locks sometimes decide on Fire Bolt instead, but your choices more or less boil down to being a punchy warlock with Green Flame/Booming Blade, or being a shooty warlock whose best weapon is going to be Eldritch Blast.
Heh, what I like to do is use my Pact slots to make the Eldritch Blasting a lot harder to deal with. One of my favorite early warlock spells is Spider Climb; even when Fly becomes available, I tend to keep Spider Climb around if I can because an hour is better than ten minutes, and Spider Climb has helped me freak enemies out in ways that simply flying wouldn't have. A wall-walking warlock firing eldritch bonks at people from weird angles, bypassing their cover because spider feets, is awesome. Greater Invis is equally badass as a feylock (Feylocks: I guarantee you're underestimating them, Hexlock adherents) - pop Greater Invis, become a demon monster of invisible energy blasting nobody can deal with. If you manage to get slippers of spider climbing as well...
Yeah, all of those conflict with Hex, but realistically even without Hex, you're dealing 1d10+Mod per strike, with a strike count fighters can envy. You don't need Hex to hold up your damage, and other concentration spells offer so much more tactical depth. All of which still applies if you're Firebolting rather than Eldritch Blasting, or using a bow, or what-have-you.
There's also the gishy "why not both?" method. Take EB, or your choice of ranged shooty thing, and your choice of XYZ Blade cantrip. Whack when they're close, shoot when they're not. Tomelock and Bladelock both work for it, Chainlock can do it but I feel like anyone playing Chainlock is the sort to value utility cantrips over damage stuff anyways. I know I do.
There's also the option of Shocking Grasp, though you have to either multiclass it or Tomelock it. if you do get it on a Chainlock though, Shocking Grasp + invisible familiar is super rude, in all the best ways. Familiar casts Shocking Grasp as a reaction, then uses its action to go invisible and retreat. Whatever it shocked gets no AoO, even at disadvantage, because Shocking Grasp says 'No reactions'. And that's if you don't point out to your DM that invisibility breaks when your familiar "attacks or casts a spell", and the familiar using its reaction to deliver a spell YOU cast is technically neither of those things. Now admittedly, any DM worth their salt is not likely to give you that one beyond the first time you terrorize a roomful of gobbos with an invisible flying taser, but if you can pull it off?
That is next-level warlock tactics, my friend.
Please do not contact or message me.
Variant Tiefling is one of my favorite things in this game with the Devil's Tongue in place of Infernal Legacy. I built him up to be stronger defensively and to use elements of control against the enemy to help maximize damage all across the round instead of just worrying about how much damage I can do.
This is incredibly powerful for when you're fighting above your normal CR level. I absolutely love loading up the big enemies with Hex using my bonus action and giving them disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks for my Inquisitive Rogue partner to land Insightful Fighting for those nasty Sneak Attack damages. The occasional disadvantage from Vicious Mockery while they're Hexed combos nicely, so now the close-up fighters in my party can use their bonus action to do other useful things and not have to worry as much about taking that AoO if they need to move out. Got another big baddy over in the corner? Sure, why not Charm them and have them fight alongside you, lol. Now you've got a variable meat shield. I did that to a Minotaur our last session and he soaked up the majority of the damage in a room filled with six thugs, a Pirate Captain, and two Bug Bears. o.o
Then when the Minotaur died we got the XP because he was still technically an enemy, ha!
I took Hexblade and Pact of the Blade because it is something I wanted to give a shot. I liked playing Eldritch Knight, so I figured this couldn't be too bad. I was right...
Having actually used my Eldritch Blast sparingly just to pepper at those pesky ranged enemies or as a finisher so I can move my Hex around, I much prefer rolling in with my Pact Weapon (magical weapon +1 yes please!) and getting into the mix nice an up close like. I usually hit the enemy or enemies with Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade depending on how clustered the hostiles are. If they get close enough together and I'm able to do so safely so as not to hit an Ally, I really enjoy casting Arms of Hadar almost as a mockery to the baddies like, "Did you really think all I had was a Sword? For rrrrreeeeeeaaaaaal?!"
It all sounds pretty basic, but my tactics for battle actually focus on elements of control with careful positioning and baiting (since there's no true aggro mechanic in 5e) so my other party members can maximize their damage (like with the Inquisitive Rogue I mentioned) each round, and also having built myself up with strong innate defenses so I don't have to worry too much about taking a lot of damage. I took the Tiefling Racial Feat Infernal Constitution, so that I have Resistance against Fire, Cold, and Poison damage (and advantage on poison saves)...which now that I have it I've noticed those types of damage are fairly common.
IDK, it could just be the way the campaign I'm using him in is designed, and that I got lucky. I feel like now that I'm describing some elements of it, it looks pretty basic. I plan to move forward with this Warlock and continue to focus on battlefield control elements and mobility, while still having strong innate defenses. The damage isn't as important to me as my party and I not taking damage, so in effect helping my party hit harder is better for all of us!
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Control spells for me are always a win like hypnotic pattern or arms of hadar. I feel like they aren't super op but they are good in certain circumstances.
Currently running an Archfey BladeLock with Improved Pact Weapon so I can Eldritch Smite from range with a Longbow. I've also got Improved Invisibility via the Archfey spell list, and Elven Accuracy because I'm a half-elf. So I'm crit-fishing with triple advantage and nobody can see me do it.
I've also got Hold Monster, so sometimes I use that, and summon a Rapier as my Pact Weapon for automatic crits vs. paralyzed enemies.
Life is good.
DICE FALL, EVERYONE ROCKS!
I just put one of these together with a half drow hexblade warlock, and it looks pretty brutal.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
In my case, as face and magical investigator for the party, combat is secondary, but I've got Fey ancestry, fly, and I took Misty step (intentional so I can bail twice) and Faerie fire. This is in addition to charm type spells. Good motion and give-bonuses-to-others. In addition to EB, I've got Ray of Frost, which as I've posted before, scales decently, but more importantly, slows those hit by it, to the tune of 10' until my next turn. With a 60' range, that's an additional round it would take for an average speed opponent to reach you, giving others greater opportunity. At 6th level, and with the party since first, I've recorded exactly one kill. But I've got a ton of "assists", not just in terms of damage, but in terms of overall board effects.
May the gentle moonlinght guide you to greater wisdom
I'm running a DEX/CHA based Tabaxi Warlock, Pact of the Blade (all in w/ improvement), w/ a GOO patron. Plenty of control spells & spells to stop spells and curses. Took Thunderstep. Also, took Armor of Shadows & Defensive Duelist.
He's EB free.
DM: Are you sure?
Wizard: Yes. I cast the Wish spell and I wish that everybody loves me!
DM: You transform into an irresistible, magnificent feast. It was so great, all who participated in devouring you tell of the joy they felt with tears in their eyes and all who hear the tale only feel sorrow that they weren't there to eat.
I've got a Dex/Cha fiend bladelock glasya tiefling. ASIs go to stats and Resilient Con. Has armor of shadows, the 4 blade invocations, agonizing blast, grasp of hadar and lance of lethargy.
EB is ranged backup, I prefer setting up with fire shield and shadow blade, then TWF with it and my scimitar/shortsword pact weapon. High AC and temp HP keep me alive. Lots of teleport spells and fly for mobility.
I know a lot of people don’t like shadow blade, but a melee lock w shadow blade and spamming green flame blade is actually quite potent. You can multi class w Eldritch knight or valor bard so that you get an extra attack when you use a Cantrip for an added bonus.
i like pairing it with pact of chain and fiend patron so that you can get gift of ever living and hp’s on a kill and you really will be pretty tanky.
ive never really been an EB spam fan. It feels like the spell is just about propping up numbers as opposed to having a real RP element. “Oh yeah so locks are really cool w their patrons, but their combat sucks. Let’s just modify a Cantrips to make it way OP compared to others in order to bring it up”